Gwinnett Daily Post

LAWRENCEVILLE -- A Gwinnett County sheriff's deputy has resigned after being arrested for allegedly driving his county-owned vehicle under the influence of prescription drugs, officials said.

Deputy Doug Dwayne Mattox, 50, had been employed in the sheriff's department's jail division sine 2008, spokeswoman Stacey Bourbonnais said. He resigned effective immediately on Friday morning, less than 24 hours after being involved in a car accident in Loganville.

Georgia State Patrol spokesman Gordy Wright said Mattox was driving his county-owned F-150 through Loganville Thursday when he rear-ended a Ford Focus at about 12:15 p.m. The trooper that responded to the accident scene on Ga. Highway 10 "suspected Deputy Mattox was under the influence of prescription medication and a blood sample was drawn for testing," Wright said.

Mattox was arrested and taken to Walton County Jail. The other driver had a complaint of injury but was not transported to the hospital, Wright said.

"As is standard procedure," Bourbonnais said, "the department opened an internal investigation based on the arrest."

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